e -government applications in Romania

1. European Ministerial Conferenceon Information Society - Connecting Europe Ljubljana, 3-4 June 2002 e-government applications in Romania Dan NICA Minister of Communications and IT Romania

2. Romanian Government priorities with regard to IT&C Coherent national strategy, sustainable and appropriate, for implementation and development of the Information Society with a view to: • Securing the improvement of the services for citizens, a better quality of life, a broader access to information, the decrease of bureaucracy, the increase of the social integration degree, faster economic growth and higher economic competitiveness • Accelerating the Digital Reform undertaken by the Romanian Government with a view to switch to the electronic governing and ensuring the conditions for the development of the Digital Economy. • Opening the competition on the telecommunications market: allowing new operators to act on a completely liberalized market. • Integrating the national telecommunications market into the EU market by adopting common regulations and creating similar institutions. • Eliminating the regional discrepancies and sustaining the policy of the Romanian Government of economic development and social cohesion.

3. IMPLEMENTATION National Strategy for Inf. Society Public Sector Private Sector CITIZENS UNIVERSITIES GPIT Integrator and coordinator National Strategy for The implementation of The Information Society COORDONATION INTEGRATION REPORTS GESNSI Public Sector CITIZENS UNIVERSITIES Private Sector STRATEGY Return of investments PROGRAMS RESOURCES INVESTORS (Public Sector, Private Sector, Civil Society, Trade Capital, Investment Funds) Implementing Information Society in Romania

4. The Group for Promoting Information Technology (ICT Task Force) • GPIT is a task-force created in early 2001, led by the Prime-Minister and counting seven Ministers in its ranks. • Provides coordination and integration for the major national IT&C projects • Encouragesthe private sector investments • GPTI promotes: • Universal service for all • e-government • Security for information and infrastructure • Copy-rights

5. Romanian IT Legislation – initiated in 2001 by MCIT • Law for the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and the free movement of these data • Law regarding the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the telecommunications sector • Law regarding the electronic signature • Law on electronic commerce In force In force In force Approved by Parliament, soon to be in force

6. Romanian IT Legislation - initiated and approved in 2002 • Governmental Ordinance – 20/2002 – regarding e-procurement • Governmental Decision – 182/2002 – listing the products and the institutions subject to use e-Procurement – first phase • Governmental Ordinance –24/2002 – electronic payment of local taxes The first steps for e-government at national level

7. e-Government in Romania The expansion of Internet makes it necessary (and also possible) to reinvent the Government. Romanian Government is aiming that, by using the new technologies, to better fulfill its obligations to the citizens: provide education, protect the public, promote economic growth and assure fairness on the market. Technological changes will have thus a huge impact on government in terms of what services are offered, how those services are provided and who provides them.

8. + implementation in Romania • Accelerating e-commerce: speed-up implementation of the legal framework and expand use of e-procurement • Virtual market; IT legislation; Web Invoices, Web Corporate Income Declaration; e Content; e-Readiness - business environment • Fast Internet for researchers and students: ensure high speed access to the Internet facilitating co-operative learning and working • RoEduNet , ROGRID initiative, RNC,GEANT, IST • Smart cards for electronic access: facilitate the establishment of national infrastructure to maximize uptake • pilot project: the unique identification of civil servants; e-signature law was adopted in July 2001 • Intelligent transport: safer, more efficient transport through the use of digital technologies • the implementation of 112 - the unified emergency call • Government online: ensure that citizen have easy access to government information, services and decision-making procedures on-line – • pilot projects: e-referendum , e-Administration Strategy • Romanian youth into the digital age:bring Internet and multimedia to schools and adapt education to the digital age • Computers and Internet is schools - 500.000 computers , with Internet access; ADLIC – Electronic High School Admission 2001 • Cheaper Internet Access: increase competition to reduce prices and boost consumers choice • Info-kiosks; Multimedia centers; cheaper tariffs for Internet access - 25% of normal price; RONIX functional - is the National Network for the interconnection of Romanian Internet Service Providers

9. Achievements – by now • 20 pilot projects related to Information Society deployment in Romania finalized in 2001 • 2 of the pilot projects on the way for the extension at national level: • on-line payment of local taxes (to be in use in all cities until November 2003) • e-procurement launched on 4th March 2002; functions for 400 public institutions and 17 categories of goods (almost 3000 products)

10. e-Government Center – pilot projects • E-tax • E-procurement • E-Job • E-referendum • E-market • Info-kiosks • Multimedia centers • Address change • Web Declarations for Corporations • Identifications of Civil Servants • Cash-Flow Management • Document Management

11. Electronic Payment of Local Taxes • The system has two components: making available information about taxes to the citizens and actual payment of the taxes by electronic means. • Time line: from the 1st of February 2003the system has to be functional for big cities and from the 1st of November 2003 for all Romanian towns.

12. e-Procurement (www.e-licitatie.ro) The project is functional since March 4th, 2002. Objectives: ·        Insuring the transparency and the efficiency of the process of public procurement (improvement of the bidding process) ·        Decreasing bureaucracy and possibilities for corruption; ·        Granting access to all citizens to information about the processes of public procurement. e-Procurement is a long - term, fundamental change process of governance, human resources, institutions and technology in Romania.

13. e-procurement – first 3 months • the system’s website was visited by almost 2000 people weekly; • as many as 6000 organizations requested to be registered as users (almost 400 purchasing agencies and the rest suppliers); • 17 categories of goods, almost 3000 individual products, are traded.

14. For government: More efficient and standardized workprocedures Speed up and increased transparency Automated control and auditing mechanisms Expanded supply Better conditions of quality and price. For businesses: More possibilities to become governmentsuppliers Easier ways to get information and follow upprocesses Savings in bidding documents Avoiding travels and movements e-Procurement - Benefits For society: Public accountability

15. 19 new projects approved in 2002 Examples: • Portal for access to e-Government services • Portal for on line forms for driving licenses • Electronic exchange of documents between public institutions • Health services Portal • Virtual Legislative Library

16. G2C G2B G2E G2G Trust, Privacy and Security Technology and Communications infrastructure The four stage framework for e-government applications To provide public services in electronic format, Romania follows the four levels framework proposed by the European Community: Level I: spread of the information Level II: one-way interaction: download forms, etc Level III: two-way interaction: – processing forms, authentication Level IV: full integration eGovernment

17. WSIS Regional conference – Europe- in preparation for The World Summit on the Information Society • Approaching issues of common European interest • Regional assessments, evaluating new initiatives and decisions • Presenting regional initiatives and investigating further networking possibilities for cooperation and partnerships  Focus on concrete issues and creativity, keeping however the balance between regional specificity and the global dimension

18. For more details, please visitwww.mcti.ro